US says Turkey violates standards to combat trafficking in persons
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The US Department of State said on Saturday Turkey does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons.
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons said in 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report about Turkey that the latter did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas, as it convicted fewer traffickers and courts continued to acquit most of the defendants prosecuted for trafficking.
Turkey also excluded local NGOs in victim protection efforts; and law enforcement sometimes investigated trafficking under lesser offences with lesser penalties, according to the report.
The Turkish government provided operational, equipment, and financial support to the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), in Syria that recruited and used child soldiers.
The US Department of State called on Turkey to stop supporting the SNA that unlawfully recruit or use child soldiers.
The department also called for “vigorously investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers.”
“Courts [in Turkey] continued to acquit most suspects prosecuted for trafficking; courts acquitted 256 of the 328 prosecuted defendants in 2022, 267 of the 339 defendants in 2021 and 177 of 214 defendants in 2020,” the report read.
The Turkish government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in trafficking crimes, according to the department’s report.
“Turkey did not proactively identify victims in vulnerable refugee and migrant communities,” as media and civil society entities report that Turkey continue to forcefully deport Syrians without screening for indicators of trafficking.
According to sources from Tel Abyad, Bab al-Hawa, and Bab al-Salama – three Syrian border crossings under the Turkish occupation – the number of the Syrian deportees mounted 6,600 since the beginning of September.
The office reported that Turkey slightly increased prevention efforts, as resources and inspections were insufficient to effectively monitor and enforce prohibitions against the use of child labor or informal work.
Applying for a work permit in Turkey is costly and burdensome, pushing the vast majority of conditional refugees and those under temporary protection remained without legal employment options, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, including trafficking, the office reported.
Turkey “did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts,” according to the report.